Pages

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Empty by Suzanne Weyn

Empty is an eye-opening novel with a plot that is relevant to the modern day energy source uncertainties. Taking place in the near future, Empty is the story of teenagers Gwen, Tom, Niki, and Gwen's childhood friend Hector, who have grown up in fictional town Sage Valley, New York. Gwen has always watched Tom from afar, and when she helps him to get gas, which in the story costs $80 per gallon, he finally starts to notice her. But soon Niki starts to like Tom, and the love triangle has been created. In the story, the United States is about to go to war over supposedly dwindling oil reserves over in the Middle East, now that Alaska and Canada are oil-less deserts. For teens in the small town of Sage Valley, the reality of being without oil is about to hit, and things are not going to be pretty. The economy is in shambles, electricity is unreliable, and food and medicine are scarce. The story accounts the teens’ struggle for mere survival in a world where everything is uncertain. This story is excellent for teen readers because not only does it involve stories of romance and modern teen problems, but it provides an interesting look at what might become our future if we don’t fix this energy crisis. It is a page-turner that makes me wonder myself about what can be done to fix this energy crisis.